Hi,
I need to redesign my website and am trying to decide between creating my own site on a friends server or going with Photoshelter. The only thing I can get with Photoshelter that I can't get with creating my own site is the fact that with Photoshelter stock image buyers can keyword search every photographers website through the one search tool. This seems like it should be a benefit until one looks at the search results. There is no filtering of results. Everything shows up and the results aren't ranked according to quallity. If a photographer has uploaded a large number of similars to his/her site then the image buyer has to plow through tons of similars. I've done image searches on Photoshelter to check this out and there are tons and tons of similars. I know from 15 years experience in the stock industry that buyers doing photo searches hate this.
Now for a question for Photoshelter users. Have you found, despite Photoshelter's search methodology, that your stock sales have benefited from being in the large pool of photographers?
I'm sure this is hard to quantify so your subjective observations are welcome.
Thanks for any help
Biggiesnows